8 minute read
ARCHITECTURE
by subcusa.com
Keith "MR. D-MARS" Davis, Sr.
The Subcontractors USA Texas Journal highlights opportunities and news relevant to the construction, energy, architecture, manufacturing, education, engineering, oil and gas, transportation, and IT industries we serve. We hope you find this issue not only informative, but inspiring and educational as well.
This month's issue highlights CDM7. Under the leadership of Trey Harris, this construction, development, and management company is committed to safety, quality, cost, and schedule to successfully serve clients. Construction is this company’s core function and founding business practice. CDM7’s principles, values, and culture allow them to provide services that accommodate client needs for the successful completion of projects. Their impressive development portfolio is built around leverag-
— President Joe Biden ing their construction resources, relationships, and partnerships, to create sustainable places for people to meet, explore, create, share, inspire, and live.
CDM7 stays ahead of the curve, remaining competitive in this field, and aspires to find ways to work with their clients, owners, and partners, adding value to any organizational structure. With vast experience and expertise, CDM7 consistently delivers a cost-effective project in a safe manner through managing their schedule and quality control. The end result is always one their clients take pride in and patrons will love.
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Subcontractors US Texas Journal. When you support us, you are supporting more than just our company; you are supporting the communities in which we live and work. Working together, we can succeed in making positive things happen.
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BEHIND THE JOURNAL
PUBLISHER & CEO Keith J. Davis, Sr.
COO & MANAGING EDITOR Kimberly Floyd
ACCOUNTING MANAGER Eugenie Doualla
OFFICE COORDINATOR Tiffany Brown
PROJECT COORDINATOR Bria Casteel
ART DIRECTOR Angel Rosa
WEB DESIGNER Erick Fontejon
PHOTOGRAPHY Grady Carter L.C. Poullard
DISTRIBUTION Rockie Hayden
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Helen Callier Subcontractors USA News Provider
CONTENTS
04 ARCHITECTURE 04 UH - Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design Architecture Students Win AIA Fort Worth Merit Award for "Lewis Center"
04 CONSTRUCTION 04 Construction Spending Rises In January As Private Nonresidential Sector Stages Rare Gain, But Rising Materials Costs Make Further Losses Likely 06 Soaring Prices And Delivery Delays For Lumber, Steel And Other Inputs Squeeze Finances For Construction Firms Already Burdened By Pandemic
08 ENERGY 08 ExxonMobil Tests Advanced Recycling of Plastic Waste at Baytown Facilities 08 CPS Energy Takes Further Steps To Protect Customers From Excessive, Illegitimate and Illegal Prices 10 ExxonMobil Outlines Plans To Grow Long-Term Shareholder Value in Lower Carbon Future
12 IT & TECHNOLOGY 12 5 Surprising Ways Clean Technology is Improving Daily Life 16-17 COVER STORY 16-17 CDM7 Stands on Its Core Values, Committed To Safety, Quality, Cost, and Schedule for Client Success 18 LEGAL 18 When Will Workers Get a Break?
20 MANUFACTURING 20 BGL Insider Special Report Provides a Global Perspective on IoT in Automation & Manufacturing
22 PERMITS 22 Winter Freeze 5 Tips on When a Residential Repair Permit Is Required in Texas
24 SAFETY 24 Is Your Workplace Taking This COVID-19 Precaution? 24 US Department of Labor Encourages Industry Employers, Stakeholders To Join OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down To Prevent Falls in Construction
26 TRANSPORTATION 26 Dr. Joe Seabrooks Named to Southern Dallas IPTMA Board of Directors 28 CapMetro Brings On-Demand Service to Pflugerville with Pickup 28 CapMetro Elects New Board Officers, Welcomes Austin City Council Member Leslie Pool
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Project highlights late congressman John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement
By Destiny Vaquera News Provider
University of Houston Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design students Caleb Matheson and Darci McGee recently received the Merit Award from the AIA Fort Worth Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards for their project, Lewis Center, a tribute to the life and work of the late congressman John Lewis.
The project was born from Professor Emily Moore's studio assignment to design a social justice center that would revitalize a community. The Lewis Center orients itself towards serving surrounding communities of the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta, Georgia – a significant historical region containing markers and monuments from the Civil Rights Movement.
Matheson and McGee sought to create a space celebrating John Lewis and perpetuating his mission of getting into "good trouble" for the sake of social justice. The word "dreams" as a metaphor, packed with imagery and having significance within the civil rights movement, was the Lewis Center's inspiration. "Our goal for the building was for it to function as the dream of the community," said Matheson. "We wanted to help the community crystalize new ways of expressing itself."
The Lewis Center draws on the metaphor of pushing boundaries through the progressive interior and against the conventional exterior. The project's exterior Flexbrick material and metal panels contrast one another to continue developing the local area's architecture. Simultaneously, the interior incorporates exhibits of local artists, providing a space for expression and social gathering for the community. "I believe the flexible sunscreen facade helped elevate our project," shared McGee. "Our vision was to create a seamless social connection between the building and the community."
To learn more about the project, visit the profile on the AIAFW Students Awards website at www.aiafw.org.
Source: UH Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design
Private Nonresidential Market Shrinks 10 Percent Since January 2020 with Declines in All 11 Segments; Growing Cancellations, Proposed Labor Law Change Threaten to Harm Employers and Workers Alike
By Destiny Vaquera News Provider
Construction spending rallied in January as private nonresidential construction increased for the first time in seven months, according to an analysis of new federal construction spending data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that nonresidential construction spending remains below pre-pandemic levels and that rising materials prices and proposed labor law changes threaten the sector’s recovery.
“Despite a modest upturn in January, spending on private nonresidential construction remained at the secondlowest level in more than three years and was 10 percent below the January 2020 spending rate,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “All 11 of the private nonresidential categories in the government report were down, compared to a year earlier.”
Construction spending in January totaled $1.52 trillion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, an increase of 1.7 percent from the pace in December and 5.8 percent higher than in January 2020. Residential construction jumped 2.5 percent for the month and 21 percent year-overyear. Meanwhile, combined private and public nonresidential spending climbed 0.9 percent from December but remained 5.0 percent below the year-ago level.
Private nonresidential construction spending rose 0.4 percent from December to January, although declines continued for the three largest components. The largest private nonresidential segment, power construction, fell 10.0 percent year-over-year and 0.8 percent from December to January. Among the other large private nonresidential project types, commercial construction— comprising retail, warehouse and farm structures—slumped 8.3 percent yearover-year and 1.8 percent for the month. Office construction decreased 4.4 percent year-over-year and 0.2 percent in January. Manufacturing construction tumbled 14.7 percent from a year earlier despite a 4.9 percent pickup in January.
Public construction spending increased 2.9 percent year-over-year and 1.7 percent for the month. Results were mixed among the largest segments. Highway and street construction rose 6.5 percent from a year earlier and 5.8 percent for the month, possibly reflecting unseasonably mild weather conditions in January 2021 compared to December and January 2020.
Educational construction increased 0.9 percent year-over-year but dipped 0.1 percent in January. Spending on transportation facilities declined 0.6 percent for the year and 1.0 percent in January.
Private residential construction spending increased for the eighthstraight month, jumping 21 percent year-over-year percent and 2.5 percent in January. Single-family homebuilding leaped 24.2 percent compared to January 2020 and 3.0 percent for the month. Multifamily construction spending climbed 16.9 percent for the year and 0.7 percent for the month.
Association officials said that many construction firms report they are being squeezed by rising materials prices, particularly for lumber and steel, yet are having a hard time increasing what they charge to complete projects. They urged the Biden administration to explore ways to boost domestic supply and eliminate trade barriers for those key materials. They also cautioned that the proposed PRO Act and its significant changes to current labor laws could undermine labor harmony at a time when the industry is struggling to rebound.
“Contractors are getting caught between rising materials prices and stagnant bid levels,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Add to that the possible threat of a new era of labor unrest, and many contractors are worried that the recovery will end before it really starts.”
